Blue and grey are both relatively rare eye colors that create a beautiful defining feature of the face. Blues can appear richer when paired with contrasting makeup colors, while greys can have flecks of blue or green that you can bring out with makeup if you wish. Learn how to highlight your eye color using strategic eye makeup that will make the color "pop!"

Steps

Method1

Choosing Makeup Colors for Blue Eyes

1

Choose eyeshadows with orange tones. Bring out the blue in your irises by choosing eyeshadow colors with subtle or bold orange tones present in them. This could be any eyeshadow in bronze, copper, gold, terra cotta, orange, brown, peach, or salmon.

Makeup with orange tones work well with blue eyes because orange is the contrasting color of blue on a color wheel. The contrast makes the blue “pop” and appear more vivid.[1]

In general, use at least three shades of the same hue of eyeshadow to create a blended gradient on your eyelids that goes from lightest in the inner corner to darkest in the outer corner.

These colors can also be used as eyeliner for the top or bottom lash line by applying an eyeliner pencil in the same hue, or using eyeshadow on a thin brush to create a line.

2

Try out purple shades. Use purple tones for eyeshadows to complement blue eyes. While purple shades won’t provide as much contrast for blues as orange tones do, they offer a subtle accentuation to the color.

If you don’t want to use bright purples as your main eye shadow color, try using amethyst and royal purple shades as eyeliner for a smaller pop of color.[2]

A dark plum that is almost black is also a great color for lining the eyes that is a slightly more neutral and understated way to bring in some color.

3

Warm up a smoky eye. Opt for a warmer smoky eye with brown shades rather than cool black and grey, as this can drown out your blue eye color. Use browns, golds, and light pinks for eyeshadow.[3]

A typical smoky eye is achieved by first applying a light shadow across the eyelid. In this case, a taupe or gold color would be great. Then apply a dark brown to the outer “V” of the eye, just above the crease and down along the lash line. Blend together with a soft brush and add a little light pink to the inner corner and brow bone.

You can also use a dark brown eyeliner or even brown mascara instead of black for this look. This keeps all the eye makeup on a warm, softer palette that will not detract from the blue of your eyes.

Method2

Choosing Makeup Colors for Grey Eyes

1

Bring out the green in grey eyes with red tones. Highlight more green tones in your grey eyes by using red and violet shades in your makeup. These will contrast with any green and yellow in your irises and help bring more attention to them.

Try eyeshadow colors in purple, plum, wine, red-brown, and pink. Use your darkest shade at the outside corner and crease, and blend it into your lightest color at the inner corner.

Pair these eyeshadow colors with a dark brown eyeliner rather than black to make the colors pop.[4]

2

Highlight blues in grey eyes with orange tones. Bring out the blue flecks in your grey eyes by contrasting blue tones as you would with blue eyes. Use eyeshadows and eyeliner in shades of bronze, copper, brown, salmon, etc.

Try dabbing a little bit of light, shimmery blue or a lighter shade of the gold or orange tones you use on the rest of the eyelid to the inner corner of the eyes. This will help draw attention to the blue present in your irises.[5]

3

Make grey eyes appear lighter with more grey. Use colors in the same tones as your own grey irises to make them look like a lighter shade of grey. Keep makeup grayscale to downplay the same hue in your eyes.

Try out charcoal or black in the outer corner and crease of your eye and blend it with grey on the eyelid and light silver in the inner corners for a classic charcoal smoky eye.

Use a nude lip color so as not to detract from the grey theme of this eye makeup.[6]

You can also play up lighter grey eyes with darker gradients of any color. Try a dark brown or mauve to contrast with lighter greys in the irises.[7]

Method3

Applying Makeup to Make Eyes Pop

1

Use a highlighter in the inner corners. Use a cream or pencil highlighter, or a light-colored eyeshadow, in the inner corner of your eyes. This is a good trick for any eyes, as it makes them appear bigger to put your eye color on display.

Those with blue eyes might want to use a highlighter that’s slightly pink-toned rather than stark white, as it will look more natural.[8]

Those with grey eyes may want to stick with a silvery highlight, in a cooler tone if they want to make grey eyes lighter.

2

Consider brown mascara. Use a dark brown mascara rather than the classic black to provide a warmer contrast to cool blues and greys. Brown lashes may also help to subtly open up smaller eyes to showcase your iris color.

Applying a lengthening mascara liberally, or putting on false lashes, also helps to open the eye up and show off your grey or blue color.[9]

Mascara also comes in other unusual colors besides black and brown. Try a navy blue mascara as a subtle way to bring out the blues in grey eyes.[10]

Brown mascara and eyeliner are great for those who have paler complexions or red hair, as they provide less contrast than black, which can make the complexion appear washed out.

3

Use liner on your waterline. Use an eyeliner pencil not only on your top and bottom lash line, but also on the inside of those lines, at the wet part known as your waterline. Provide some contrast to the whites of your eyes and color in your irises by using this trick to make them pop.[11]

Consider a brown eyeliner for a color that won’t wash blue colors out. Or choose grey eyeliner, which is slightly more dramatic than brown and will also bring out greys and silvers in the eye.[12]

You can still use black eyeliner if you like the look of higher contrast with your skin and more of a silver or grey tone to blue eyes. You can balance darker eyeliner with salmon and coral tones of eyeshadow if you want to keep bringing out the blue.[13]

Try using a light or white liner for the waterline if you have small eyes and want to make them appear larger. The eyeliner on your lids can remain brown, black, or grey.[14]

4

Complement eye makeup with skin and lips. Remember that the rest of the makeup on your face can also affect the intensity of your eye color and eye makeup. Use your lips and blush to create further contrast, or downplay the rest of the face to keep the eyes on display.

Apply shimmery bronzer to the cheeks and face to further bring out blues in the eyes. You can also brush on a peachy blush to the apples of your cheeks to bring in more of the orange hue that makes blues pop.[15]

A peachy, coral, or even red lip color works well for highlighting blue in blue or grey eyes. A nude lip works best with grayscale eye makeup to play up light grey in eyes.

Different colors of clothing can make certain eyes pop. According to "Who What Wear", people with blue eyes should wear neutrals, pinks, dark blues, and lighter greens. People with green eyes should wear purple, dark green, coral, and pale yellow. People with hazel eyes should wear dark neutrals, orange, lavender, and burgundy. And people with brown eyes should wear khaki green, soft pink, rich blue, and gold.

Will brown mascara, brown eyeliner, and brown eyeshadow be too much brown?

wikiHow Contributor

Brown is a shade that appears pretty neutral on most skin tones, so it's difficult to have too much of it, especially with eyeliner and mascara. However, eyeshadow offers the opportunity to bring in some other colors along with the brown. For instance, you could blend a brown eye shadow in the outer corners of your eyelid with a purple, gold, bronze, or taupe color on the middle part of your lid. It's always a good idea to use at least two colors or shades of eyeshadow to create more variation.

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"Your article taught me how to emphasize the blue in my blue gray eyes and how to make my small eyes appear larger. I never knew about using a light eye pencil along my water line, so thank you! I appreciate your easy to understand advice!"..." more- Sheryl Livatino